It was a hot summer day. The sun was shining as radiant as the sparkling stars from the night before. In the town of Lakefield Mary Lou Campbell was getting ready for the big poetry slam at 6:45 p.m. that afternoon. She was just revising her poem a little earlier. She’s a “do everything at the last minute” kind of person. She was just about to head for the coffee shop on Lake Tapestry Road. Right after a few brushes of makeup.
While putting on her makeup she noticed that her hair was a mess! She rapidly wrapped her pretty purple scarf around her head. Then, she rushed to her car, there was Ms. Bernstein (her neighbor) walking her dog.
“Hello Mary Lou why are you in such a rush? Where are you headed? Is it somewhere important? You know I’ve been concerned about your drapes that are hanging on you porch. You can poke someone’s eye out with those bad boys. You should consider shopping at Home Goods. They opened up a new one on Strickler and Tollen. Maybe you should stop by the new beauty supply right next to it. And get a nice wig for your head darling! It looks a mess! They have some nice ornaments that’ll give that little white box a nice pop. I went there last week and they really have some nice stuff. Fifi stop barking!”
“Uh, she’s so nosey!” Mary murmured to herself.
Mary responded quickly out loud “I need to get to the poetry slam on Lake Tapestry!”
“Looking like that?! That’s where you’re going? Mary honey there is going to be people there so fix your hair! Buy a wig.”
Mary Lou paid her no mind. She hopped into her car, started the engine, and took off like NASA’s rocket ship. This was a big day; she absolutely needed to look her best! Even though she had cancer it wasn’t going to stop her from achieving her dreams. Mary Lou was about to miss the poetry slam. On second thought, the poetry slam was in twenty minutes! When she reached to the beauty supply they were playing soft music and it smelled like fresh roses and oranges. All of that mellow stuff did not fit Mary’s mood at the time. Oh, she was speeding! She flashed across the store like a lightning bolt.
When she got to the aisle of wigs, she found the perfect one. Zooming to the cash register, there was the clerk looking for conversation. Mary Lou was in such a rush but trying her best to be polite, she responded:
“Listen here! I’m late for a poetry slam and the grand prize is 1,000 dollars if I’m late will you give me the 1,000 dollars. Are you going to give me 1,000 dollars? Huh?! I don’t think so and by the way, I’m in a rush so no conversation time just give me the bill!”
“Gee! That’ll be 22.56 ma’am.”
“Thank you very much!” she answered sarcastically. Reaching into her purse she realized that she had left her wallet at home! What was she going to do now?
“Oh my gosh! What am I going to do now? I can’t do looking like this! But I don’t have any money on me! Oh man!”
“Uh, I won’t be taking that!” She fled the store in a hurry! But while she was on her way to her car, she noticed Ms. Bernstein. Mary covered her face with her purse and kept on walking to her car. She didn’t want to start another conversation with her. Whenever she starts a conversation with Ms. Bernstein. Mary always ends up being offended. Ms. Bernstein saw Mary Lou but didn’t bother to say anything to her.
When she got to her destination, she was the last poet to reach. Then she had made it on time. But there is yet another problem. She forgot her revised poem at home! All she had was her rough draft. Which was useless! She didn’t know what she was going to do. Until, it clicked in her mind
“Yes! I’ll improvise! But what topic?”
While thinking on that she was called up for the next reading. Luckily they needed to memorize their poems. So no one would know that she forgot her poem. Mary was terrible at improvising. She memorized a little of her revised poem. So she was okay. Then she read some of that and added a little on to it. She did pretty well and felt pretty good about what she read. She had written about something she wasn’t too comfortable speaking about, her sickness cancer. Then she sat back down and relaxed. Until another issue arose, whoa this just wasn’t her day. Two buff male police officers entered the coffee shop and went over to the host. Who was standing next to the stage. He made a few hand gestures and pointed over toward Mary Lou. They trotted over to Mary and one of the officers stood in front of Mary Lou and said, “Ma’am, we have a warrant for your arrest. You are under arrest for theft at the local beauty supply on Strickler and Tollen.” The officer said while hand cuffing her hands together.
“The report says that you stole……a wig? Why would you steal a wig?” says the officer.
“A wig? I never stole a wig. You can check my purse! Really you can. It’s the blue one with the purple sequins I the center. I don’t know where that wig is, it probably flew out of the store!” she replied sarcastically. The other officer checked her purse.
“How do you explain this?” he said while pulling the wig out of her purse.
“That’s not my purse!” She answered.
“Well sorry ma’am! Why was it in your purse?” He said to the lady sitting next to Mary.
“That’s my nighttime wig!” The lady replied.
After that he checked Mary’s purse.
“Her purse doesn’t have it in there!” remarked the officer.
“Man! I put it in the wrong purse! I was so close to getting my revenge on Mary!” a voice from the far left corner of the coffee shop called out. The officer that cuffed Mary let her loose from the cuffs. One of the bystanders grabbed the anonymous person from the corner. Come to find out, the person was Ms. Bernstein from her neighborhood. Ms. Bernstein hated Mary Lou because whenever she would start to talk to Mary, Mary would just ignore her. Mary Was best friends with Ms. Bernstein’s granddaughter (Mariana Bernstein) until one day Mary stole Mariana’s gold necklace. Or so she thought because Mary wouldn’t steal anything.
“Spill the beans! Confess!” officer Jared shouted.
Okay fine! I set her alarm clock off so she’ll be late, I tried to make her late by making the clerk speak to Mary and keep a conversation because I wanted to win something for once that Mary participated in. I hate the neighborhood that I live in. Then I entered the store with a purple scarf similar to Mary’s and took the wig. After that I forced the clerk to file a police report about Mary stealing a wig. And then, I tried to put it in her purse but then I put in someone else’s purse. I would’ve gotten away if the cops didn’t come in and if they didn’t have the same purse. I’ll et my revenge on you Mary Lou! Yes! I will!”
Mary Lou would’ve never guessed that Ms. Bernstein would have done such a thing. Now that Mary Lou read her poem in front of all of those people about her cancer she is more confident than ever. Well, the poetry slam was over by 8:00. She was ready to hear the winner.
On the microphone you could hear them: And the winner is…Maria Bernstein! But she got arrested so the real winner is…Mary Lou Campbell! Congratulations Mary! Lou. Come up and receive your check for 1,000 dollars!
While on her way to the bank, she found her old wig in the backseat of her car. So she grabbed it and put it on hiding her bear scalp. When she got out of the car, in the bank parking lot there was a lot of wind, her wig flew off. But because she was so confident, she didn’t even care anymore. She threw the wig away. She was 1,000 dollars richer so she didn’t have a care in the world. She was satisfied, and finally had the courage to send out her poems, and now she has nine poems published.
The Mystery Unfolds with Flying Wigs and Missing Stuff, 6-8, 1